Cultivator



Aug. 31, .1943. A. H. HABERSTUMP CULTIVATOR File d Dec. 50, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R O T N E V m Aug. 31, 1943. A. H. HABERSTUMP CULTIVATOR Filed Dec. 30, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR' Patented Aug. 31, 1943 CULTIVATOR Alfred H. HaberstumP, Detroit, Mieh., assignor to The Murray Corporation of America Application December 30, 1940, Serial No. 372,231

5 Claims.

My invention relates to cultivators, and particularly to a cultivator blade having means for setting the slope of the blade at a predetermined angle.

Cultivators are provided with one or a plurality of blades depending upon whether they are hand operated, horse or tractor drawn structures. The power drawn type of cultivators have a plurality of blades which are mounted to permit the blade to hinge over an obstacle which would otherwise break or damage the blade and cultivator structure. A sprin is provided for returning the blade to its initial set position and for normally maintaining it in this position. In view of the force which is applied to the blade difliculty has been experienced in providing a simple, yet rugged, adjusting means by which the slope of the blade relative to the ground may be regulated.

In practicing my invention, I employ a pair of stampings having projections, rectangular in section, mounted on a bolt which is adjusted in an arcuate slot. A plurality of rectangular slots which communicate with each other, forming a single slot having teeth-like edges, is disposed at an angle to the cord of the are through which the bolt extends. Fingers are provided on a pair of stampings which are disposed in a pair of the notches to tilt the blade relative to the supporting pivot. The link system permits the blade to pivot when it engages a stone or other obstacle. The elements of the blade and support are made of stampings which are readily assembled and Which are provided with sufficient strength to resist bending under normal operation while being maintained in adjusted positionby a spring which is compressed when the blade is pivoted over an object which it encounters.

Accordingly, the main objects of my invention are; to provide a blade for a cultivator having adjusting means therefor which positively maintain the blade in predetermined relation to its support; to provide a blade supporting bracket for a cultivator having communicating recesses which form a serrated slot dis osed in a straight line or on an arc, the projections of which are relatively engageable by projecting fingers on a pair of stampings which are mounted on a bolt which operates in a slot disposed at an angle to the slot formed by the communicating recesses; to provide fingers on a pair of stampings which are mounted on a blade supporting bracket of a cultivator to be adjustable in a slot offset at an angle to a slot having pairs of serrations, with which the finger on the stampings engages to dispose the'b'lade at a desired angle to its support; andin general, to provide adjusting means for the blade of a cultivator which is rugged in construction and which positively retains the blade at a predetermined adjusted angle.

Other objects and features of novelt of my invention will be either specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a better understanding of my invention, to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a cultivator having blades thereon embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of one of the blades illustrated on the cultivator in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the blade illustrated in Fig. 2, taken from the right hand side thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2, taken on the line 4-4 thereof; and,

Fig. 5 is an'enlargedsectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2, taken on the line 5-5 thereof.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated a conventional cultivator, of the tractor drawn type having a plurality of cultivator blades and supporting structure It. The blade and sup-porting structure I0 is illustrated in Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, as comprising a supporting bar H having a stamped U-shaped supporting bracket l2 pivoted on its lower end bya pivot l3. A spade shaped blade I4 is secured to the front face of the U-shaped stamping against the web thereof by a pair of bolts l 5 which are drawn against flanged plates i6 which straddle the open end of the bracket [2. The side flanges of the supporting bracket l2 at the pivoted end are extended, at H, and provided withan arcuate slot l8 through which a bolt l9 projects.

The bolt extends through one end of a channel shaped link 2|, the other end of which is secured by a pivot 22 to a link 23 which in turn is secured to the supporting bar I I by a pivot 24. The opposite end of the link 23 beyond the pivot 22 is provided with stub pins 25 which receive slots in a shouldered sleeve 26 against which one end of a spring 21 abuts. Interjacent the pin 22 and the bolt IS an eye-bolt 28 is secured on a pivot 29, the opposite end of which forces a shouL dered collar 3| against the outer end of the spring ,21, the tension of which may be adjusted by the securing nut 32. The bolt I9 carries a spacer collar 33 between the flanges of the link 2| and has mounted on the head and nut end stampings 34 which are provided with rectangular shaped inwardly projecting fingers 35.

A slot 35 is provided in each of the flanges of the bracket [2 disposed on an arc, or in a line, which is at an angle to the arcuate slots 18 in the projections ll of the flanges. The slot 36 is provided with a plurality of notches 31 and 38, pairs of which form rectangles similar to the rectangular fingers 35 except for the fact that they communicate with each other. By having the rectangular slots communicate with each other in this manner, one large slot may be stamped in the metal having serrated edges. This operation may readily be performed on a heavy stamping while the stamping of a plurality of uncornmunicating slots would quickly wear out the tool.

By loosening the nut 39 on the bolt if the stampings 34 may be adjusted to position the fingers 35 in any one of the pair of notches 37 and 33 to thereby swing the plate [4 at an angle to the supporting bar ll. When the nut is again clamped tightly on the bolt [9, the blade is held in adjusted position without any danger of becoming loosened or of the adjusting mechanism becoming damaged. In any of the adjusted positions, the blade is free to pivot on the end of the supporting bar H through the movement of the links 2] and 23 against the compression of the spring 21. As soon as the blade has cleared the obstacle the tension of the spring returns it to its original adjusted position, which is that illustrated.

The adjusting elements positively maintain the blade in adjusted position and are of rugged construction so that the parts will not bend or break. By uniting the plurality of slots into one elongated slot, the large tool employed for stamping the resulting aperture withstands the severe strains which the tools for stamping individual apertures would be unable to withstand. By placing the slot for the bolt and the slot having the serrations at an angle to each other, the force actin on the fingers when engaging any of the serrations is along their longitudinal axes which offers the greatest resistance against the shearing of the fingers from the stampings 34.

While I have described and illustrated but a single embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions, additions and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as set forth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cultivator, a blade structure, a supporting member on which the blade structure is pivoted, a spring operated mechanism for holding the blade in a desired position, a bolt projecting through a slot in the blade structure and pivoted to the spring mechanism, elements supported by said bolt having projecting fingers, said blade structure having a notched slot disposed at an angle to the first said slot for receiving said fingers to thereby angularly position said blade structure on said supporting member.

2. In a cultivator, a supporting element, a U- shaped bracket pivoted thereon, a blade secured to the front face of said bracket, an elongated slot in each wall of the bracket having serrated edges in the nature of communicating rectangles, an additional slot disposed in each wall of said bracket at a different angle to the first said slot, a bolt in said second slot, a link connected to said bolt, elements on said bolt having inwardly projecting fingers which mate with a pair of said notches by which the supporting bracket and blade are adjusted to a predetermined angle rela tive to the supporting element, and a spring operated mechanism for holding the blade in a desired position.

3. In a cultivator, a pivoted bracket, a link, said bracket having a slot, a bolt projecting in said slot and joined to said link said bracket having a second slot provided with notched edges, elements on said bolt having inwardly projecting fingers mateable with pairs of said notched edges by which the bracket is adjusted in angular position relative to said link, and a spring mechanism for retaining said bracket in a desired position.

l. In a cultivator, a pivoted bracket, a link, said bracket having a slot, a bolt projecting in said slot and joined to said link said bracket having a second slot provided with notched edges, elements on said bolt having inwardly projecting fingers mateable With pairs of said notched edges by which the bracket is adjusted in angular position relative to said link, the angular disposition of said first slot being different from the angular position of the second slot, a blade on said bracket, and a spring mechanism for retaining said bracket in a desired position.

5. In a cultivator, a blade supporting bar, a U- shaped bracket hinged to the end of said bar, a blade attached to the web of said bracket, bolts securing said blade in position, flanged plates spanning the spaced Walls of said bracket through which the bolts extend for drawing said blade against the web of said bracket, said bracket having a pair of slots in its walls disposed at an angle to each other with one of said slots having serrated walls, a link supported on said bar, a bolt extending through the other of said slots and joined to said link, elements on said bolt having inwardly projecting fingers which are mateable with a pair of said serrations for positioning said blade on said supporting bar, and a spring for retaining said blade in a desired position.

ALFRED H. HABERSTUMP. 

